


Recurring Nightmare

by Burgie



Series: Katja Joins Team Good AU [4]
Category: Star Stable
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-07-27 01:46:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7598677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Katja's past continued to haunt her through her dreams.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Recurring Nightmare

Katja had never needed sleep as a General. But now that she was just a siren again, she did need sleep. And it was really nice to just cuddle up to Alex and sleep with her in the literal sense.

But it came with its downsides, of course. Especially now, when nightmares would wake her up in the middle of the night. She could never remember them, but usually she could just brush them off and go back to sleep.

Not this time. This time, she could barely even escape the nightmare. She was back there again, in a cage while darkness shrouded everything. Katja could feel its dark malevolence, and she hated it. She heard her son cry and lurched towards the side of the cage, barely able to stand under the pressing darkness. Once she had her hands wrapped around the bars, they stayed there. She couldn’t move them. She realised, belatedly, that she couldn’t move anything. She couldn’t even blink. But she could at least see her son. Could see what Garnok was doing to him.

Katja wanted to sing, to scream, to do anything to save him. But she couldn’t. She was completely stuck. Powerless. She wanted to break out. But she just watched, again, while Buck was stripped of everything that made him uniquely hers. And instead, he became something different. Just another soldier. He looked no different on the outside, but Katja could feel the difference. The magic let her go and she slid to the ground, sobbing. In the dream, just like in the memory, she closed her eyes and escaped to Pandoria.

When Katja woke up, she thought for a moment that the dream had been reality. She sat up and frantically rolled her sleeves up, only relaxing when she saw her arms. They were still marked with the runes that protected her from Garnok. That, at least, was good. She was shivering.

“Katja,”said Alex softly. “Are you alright?” Katja was glad that Alex was a light sleeper. She nodded as Alex slipped her hand into hers.

“I’m okay,” said Katja. “We’re okay. I think. I hope.” She put her hands over her stomach and was reassured to feel the life there.

“Yes, we are okay,” said Alex. “My wards are still up. And we’re in the bunker, possibly the safest place there is.”

“Thank you,” said Katja. “For reassuring me. And for doing this.”

“We didn’t move into the bunker for you, if that’s what you mean,” said Alex.

“No, I meant for the wards,” said Katja. “My song could’ve warded this place too.”

“Do it,” said Alex. “It’ll make you feel better, if nothing else.”

“Alright,” said Katja. “You can go back to sleep.”

“Are you sure?” asked Alex. 

“Yes,” said Katja. “I’ll join you soon.” She kissed Alex gently, then found the warding song and sang it. She was glad that she could sing now, humming to hide her true identity had been a little tiresome. And the spells hadn’t worked as well. But now, she could feel the spell using her power to coat not just the room but the entire bunker in another layer of warding. Alex’s own wards glowed under the new ones, and Katja was relieved to see that they were still there.

When the song ended, Katja laid back down and tried to relax enough to go back to sleep. She needed sleep more than ever now, but the irony was that her situation brought up nightmares that made sleep difficult if not outright impossible. Alex knew this, and wrapped her arms comfortingly around her girlfriend.

“Think of me,” said Alex. “Well, not me, the me from other lives.” Katja chuckled softly. She had told Alex about how herself in past lives had slept with a knife by her side and had been able to awaken easily whenever danger came sniffing around. She was still like that now, minus the knife. Alex relied more on her magic this cycle. Thinking about Alex, Katja was able to calm down completely and finally fall asleep.


End file.
